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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22411636">Masquerade</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyfyrecity/pseuds/Skyfyrecity'>Skyfyrecity</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, General Shenanigans, Hinata can't follow rules, Hurt/Comfort, I update on the weekends sometimes, Kageyama is that journalist who Knows Too Much, Kuroo is a rich boi, M/M, Miraculous Ladybug AU, Slow Burn, You Have Been Warned, i'm just tryin to give the Kuroken shippers some food, kenma is actually a gremlin, let kenma sleep 2020, mild gore warning just to be safe, this fic is gonna be like 1 part fluff 1 part angst and 8 parts bad puns</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 14:22:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>18,368</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22411636</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyfyrecity/pseuds/Skyfyrecity</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Kenma likes saving the world, but only in video games. Unfortunately for him, fate has other plans. Having been "chosen" by a mysterious old man to take the mantle of superhero and save Tokyo from destruction, Kenma barely has enough time in the day to live his own life. The fact that he is falling for his childhood friend doesn't make things any easier.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Everything after this is background ships, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, There's probably gonna be more in the bg but these are the main ones, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>153</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. In The Rain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Small flecks of rain sprinkled themselves on the screen of Kenma’s PSP, each droplet surrounded by slight condensation from the crisp morning air. He wiped the sleeve of his jacket across the screen, annoyed, but only succeeded on smearing the droplets further. Kenma looked up, suddenly realizing he’d been standing on the same street corner for at least three cycles of the traffic lights. He reluctantly paused his game and put it in his red hoodie’s front pocket, as the walk sign turned back to red. He sighed quietly, wondering why his habits must keep him out in the chilly rain longer than necessary.</p><p> </p><p>Finally looking properly at his surroundings, he wrinkled his nose slightly at the small droplets of water that were peppering the streets and sidewalk with dark spots. The few trees around were shedding their pink petals, which drifted down and gathered in the gutters. A few people were waiting impatiently at the corner where Kenma stood, insistent on getting to wherever they were headed - probably work. The people who had just finished crossing the street were already long gone, speeding off to their destinations… except for one.</p><p> </p><p>A rickety old man had failed to finish crossing the street on time, barely dragging himself along with his cane. His wispy hair was still decently dark, but receded a good amount from his forehead. His goatee and mustache were well trimmed, whiter at the tips than the roots. He wore a bright red Hawaiian shirt with white flowers, which looked almost comical on his small frame.</p><p> </p><p>Without warning, the elder stumbled heavily, causing his cane to clatter to the ground, and the man to follow suit. two spots of light flashed suddenly as a car turned onto the street, headed towards the crosswalk at an uncomfortably fast speed.<br/>Suddenly overpowered with an urge he could not explain, Kenma leapt into the street, quickly taking in his surroundings. He kicked the cane so it rolls towards the curb, reaching down for the man as the shadows grew sharp from the oncoming headlights. Kenma distantly heard a shout from one of the people on the sidewalk, but couldn’t discern what they said. The car’s brakes screeched as Kenma pushed the elder out of harm’s way, as gently as he could manage in such a situation. As adrenaline spiked through his heart, he lunged forward, just managing to escape collision. He watched the car scream by, in what felt like some weird kind of slow motion, before dropping to his knees, overwhelmed by all the stimulus as people start shouting in worry and in joy across the street.</p><p> </p><p>After what felt like at least a few minutes, Kenma felt a gentle touch on his left shoulder. He turned to see the elderly man, who’s giving him a warm smile.</p><p> </p><p>"Thank you, young one.”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma only managed a small “’s nothing,” as he stood up and gently brushed himself off, more for comfort than anything. “Um.. are you all right, sir?” The man smiled.</p><p> </p><p>“Couldn’t be better. You saved my life.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh… uh, yeah…”</p><p> </p><p>The man gave his arm a quick pat, as he was only up to Kenma’s elbow when he stood at full height. He handed Kenma his school bag.</p><p> </p><p>“Hurry, you don’t want to miss your first day of the school year now, do you?”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma jolted, remembering where he had been headed, and wished the man well as he started to speedwalk down the street. He was gonna be late for sure, and he didn’t think that saving a man from a car accident would really be a believable excuse, at least coming from him - he wasn’t really known as the heroic type.</p><p>The drizzle had upgraded to a downpour by the time Kenma made his way through the front doors of the school building. During the last leg of the journey he’d broken into a run in an effort to escape the onslaught of water, which thankfully gave him a few minutes to spare before the morning bell, even if he got soaked nonetheless. This did little to cheer him up, however, as he now had an unpleasant case of the chills. Shivering, he took a look around, sizing up the new roster of students.</p><p> </p><p>He saw plenty of familiar faces - the small but commanding Yaku chatting with Yamamoto, a man who worked harder than he really needed to; it didn’t take long to see the zebra striped hair of Bokuto, who dashed by at breakneck speed - whether in excitement or in haste to get to class in time, was lost to Kenma. He hadn’t the time to see the expression on his face.</p><p> </p><p>There were, as expected, a decent amount of shy, bright-eyed first years, excited yet terrified to be in high school for the first time. Kenma noticed a lot of them appeared to be unusually tall - he hoped they were gentle giants, and would leave him alone. An altercation already beginning between a tall, angry looking one and a small redhead instantly made Kenma’s hopes begin to waver, but he decided not to worry about it much and headed quickly to his first class.</p><p> </p><p>Kenma’s morning went about as boring as he expected, and he was grateful when lunchtime finally approached, if only because he would get to play his game some more. Strategizing complex fights against demon kings were way more interesting than trying to find the value of x. He started to wander around, looking for a nice empty table when the unthinkable happened - someone called out his name. He froze for a second, then turned around in quiet surprise.</p><p> </p><p>It was Bokuto who called him, which alarmed Kenma, because they’d only spoken a few times before; granted that was more words than most had exchanged with him but he would hardly consider it reason enough to yell at him in the middle of the bustling cafeteria.</p><p> </p><p>“HEY KENMA, COME HERE, I THINK I FOUND A FRIEND OF YOURS? I DIDN’T KNOW YOU HAD ANY!” Bokuto opened his mouth to add more, only for the person next to him to clap a hand over it.</p><p> </p><p>Kenma blinked a couple times, then timidly took a few steps towards Bokuto and this supposed “friend” of his, and realized Bokuto wasn’t actually entirely wrong. The young man sitting next to the bouncy third year was, in fact, the one true friend Kenma had ever had; but he hadn’t seen him in years.</p><p> </p><p>After all this time, Kenma still recognized him instantly - that disastrous mop of hair could only belong to his childhood bestie, Kuroo Tetsurou. He shot a lopsided grin over at Kenma, waving. Kenma stared for a second in surprise, then offered a small smile back, hand barely raising in a wave.</p><p> </p><p>Kenma had met Kuroo once when he got lost on his way home from elementary school, and the two had ended up talking for barely fifteen minutes before Kuroo’s parents found him and took him home, delivering Kenma back to his neighborhood as well. That fifteen minutes was enough for a friendship to start, Kuroo often meeting Kenma to play in the park by themselves for a few hours. After about six months, however, Kuroo had suddenly stopped coming to see him, and Kenma never found out why.<br/>Kuroo came from a wealthy and renowned family - his father was a top tier fashion designer, and recently Kuroo himself would model his dad’s top designs (Kenma may or may not have purchased a few of the magazines he was featured in.) He assumed that due to the fame, Kuroo had found better things to do than hang around with someone like him, or perhaps it had something to do with the mysterious disappearance of Kuroo’s mother, which had happened around the same time. Either way, Kenma had remained friendless to this day, and he was decently content with it, even though it did make him feel lonely sometimes…</p><p> </p><p>As Kenma started to make his way over to reconnect with his long lost friend, a shout rabg from the crowd of students.</p><p> </p><p>“HEY, IS THAT KUROO TETSUROU?”</p><p> </p><p>People immediately began to crowd towards Bokuto and Kuroo, who got up and bolted, abandoning their food in favor of freedom from the masses. After a moment Kenma hurried the other way, keen to avoid being shunted around by a dozen strangers. He finished his lunch at the foot of a staircase, playing his game as usual. Kenma found it unusually difficult to concentrate on it, however, his mind wandering to the brief interaction he’d had earlier. It felt like he’d torn a scab off a wound that never healed. He knew it probably wasn’t Kuroo’s fault, and that he shouldn’t be so bothered by it, but part of him couldn’t help feeling that he at least had deserved a warning, or an explanation. He hoped he would get one soon, though he doubted he’d get much of a chance to chat unless he was willing to have the whole thing witnessed by half the school.</p><p> </p><p>Afternoon classes proved as dreary as the morning ones, but at least he wasn’t cold and wet anymore. Unfortunately the rain was still coming down in buckets as the last bell rang and the students packed their things, and Kenma stood out under an overhang, wrinkling his nose at the prospect of traveling without any form of protection. He decided to try and sit it out, plopping down on the front steps and pulling out his PSP once more. The rain insistently fell, level after level, and Kenma knew his mother would be starting to worry, even though he had texted her about fifteen minutes into his wait explaining the situation. Besides, his PSP battery was dangerously low, and he wanted to save a bit of that battery life for the journey home. Not that he could even use it in weather like this. Perhaps he would play just one more level before he left…</p><p> </p><p>“Didn’t think to bring an umbrella this morning?”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma jumped in slight surprise, and tilted his head up to see Kuroo himself staring down at him, his smile unexpectedly soft as he looked down at Kenma. His features looked so similar to when they were kids, but everything seemed more dramatic, more angular than before. Quite frankly he looked more like a mob boss than a model but he still had this charm to him that made him seem trustworthy.</p><p> </p><p>Or maybe that was the childhood friend bias talking.</p><p> </p><p>“Mind if I join you?”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma nodded, quickly looking back down at his game just in time to see “YOU DIED” in red letters across the screen.</p><p> </p><p>“Make yourself at home, I guess…”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo gracefully sat himself down next to Kenma, and he chuckled upon seeing the screen in Kenma’s hands. “Still love to play video games, I see? Have you played the new Monster Hunter, it’s all the rage these days.”</p><p> </p><p>“yeah, it was ok,” Kenma responded. “I feel like the leveling was a little inconsistent…”</p><p> </p><p>“Ever the strategist, you are.”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma shrugged as the screen powered off, finally succumbing to lack of power. Kenma sighed, knowing he couldn’t just stare at a screen to hide from the nerves he was feeling.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey Kuro…”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo’s eyes widened for a second, before he started to grin again.</p><p> </p><p>“You still remember that nickname, I’m touched~”</p><p> </p><p>“What… happened?” Kenma’s voice was barely a whisper. “You just disappeared one day and I never saw you again… except for on magazine covers…”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo’s expression suddenly turned somber.</p><p> </p><p>“When I hung out with you… it was a secret. I was sneaking out. My dad found out shortly after mom…” He closed his eyes for a second before continuing, “after mom… disappeared. He freaked out and basically he’s been monitoring my every move since. I’m sorry I couldn’t contact you, I didn’t know how since you didn’t have a phone yet…”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh. I’m… that sounds… like the worst,” Kenma responded, unsure what to say.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s okay, it wasn’t your fault. Besides, I managed to convince him to let me go to school this year, and I’m so glad I ended up in the same place as you.”</p><p> </p><p>He turned to look directly into Kenma’s eyes; the timid second-year wanted to look away, and yet somehow he didn’t.</p><p> </p><p>“I really missed you, Kenma. I know that it probably hurt to have me vanish like that, but I hope we… we can be friends again?” His expression was one of regret and hope, as the question hung in the air. After a moment Kenma opened his mouth to speak, but only silence came out.</p><p> </p><p>The odd, almost spell-like moment was broken as a sleek black limo slid up to the nearest curb, both heads turning at the sound of the engine. Kuroo slowly got up, grabbing his bag.</p><p> </p><p>“Looks like my ride is here. Sorry we couldn’t chat longer. Before I go though, I have something,” He unzipped his bag, shuffling through the various items inside for a moment before pulling out a small, red, collapsible umbrella, and placing it next to Kenma. “I feel like you need it more than I today.” Before Kenma could react, Kuroo flashed him a small grin before hoisting his bag onto his shoulder and dashing down the shiny sidewalk towards the limo. He waved briefly as he leapt inside to avoid the rain. Kenma waved back as the vehicle smoothly turned onto the road.</p><p> </p><p>He picked up the umbrella, and after a moment of inspection, the umbrella snapped open at the press of a button on the side. As he locked it in place, Kenma noticed a little paper falling out of the folds of the red fabric. He caught it before it drifted to the ground, and read the writing inside; a number was scrawled out on the paper, with a small message:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Text me when you get home safe :3</em>
  <br/>
  <em>-Kuroo</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Kenma smiled a little, placing the umbrella down momentarily to punch the number into his phone. He then opened up a new text messge, and began to type.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>I’d love to be friends again. </b>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Open Your Eyes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi y'all, I just wanna say a huge thanks to y'all who already read/commented on this - I was expecting like 15 hits maybe and I got like a hundred? O.O  I'm glad other people are enjoying this besides me lol.</p><p>Anyway, I wanted to mention that I am gonna try and upload chapters every Friday/Saturday. Perhaps I might upload a bonus chapter or two during the week if I have the time and energy for it ;) </p><p>Also, this fic is dedicated to my amazing sister, who has discussed this AU in great length with me &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kenma stared blankly at the math problem in front of him for a few more minutes before throwing his head back with a quiet sigh. The fact that this much work had been assigned on day one was really dampening his mood - granted, it was usually neutral or annoyed anyway. Today, it was definitely harder than usual to focus though, considering the events of the afternoon. Kenma picked up his phone for a second, rereading the short conversation he’d had with Kuroo.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em>I’m home. 5:43p</em> </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>That’s great! Do you think you’ve caught a cold? O: 5:43p</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em><strong> Probably not. 5:44p</strong> </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>That’s good :3 5:44p</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>So Whatcha doin? 6:12p</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong><em>Homework 6:15p</em> </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Oh. Well, let me know if you need any help on it ^^ 6:15p</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong><em>ok. 6:15p</em> </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Kenma couldn’t help but smile a little bit at the conversation. For once in his life, he felt some mild excitement (and a little nervousness) over something; seeing how they had both changed. For one, Kuroo definitely seemed to be a lot more talkative than he used to be…</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> <strong>Ugh. It’s too hard. 6:28p</strong> </em>
</p><p> </p><p>After waiting for a few minutes for a reply and getting nothing, Kenma pushed his chair back and moved over to the small tv screen he had placed on his bedroom wall. He crouched down and pushed the <em>ON</em> button of his PS4, which sung itself to life with a small ditty. He booted up one of his favorite games - Marvel’s Spider-Man. While Kenma often followed the quests in the game, he had a special save which was purely for the purpose of swinging around the city; it was a wonderfully therapeutic thing to do during stressful times. As he sent Peter flinging through the skies with reckless abandon, Kenma wondered to himself what it might be like to actually have superpowers. Would being able to swing from buildings be fun in real life, or simply terrifying? He supposes it’s probably a mixture of both, considering the freedom yet lack of safety protocol. Kenma’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a shout from downstairs.</p><p> </p><p>“KENMA, DINNER’S READY! I HOPE YOU’VE BEEN DOING YOUR HOMEWORK UP THERE!”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma wrinkled his nose slightly in irritation, but he decided to get up, since he was hungry. Also, he didn’t want to deal with his mom coming up to his room just to find him playing games again. On the way out, he grabbed his math booklet to shove it in his bag. However, in his dissociative state, he managed to pick up the bag upside down, sending the contents scattering on the floor. Kenma wrinkled his nose again and headed downstairs, deciding to clean up the mess after he ate.</p><p> </p><p>When he came back upstairs, he sighed once more, having almost forgotten about the disaster on his floor. Figuring it would be best to just get it over with, Kenma immediately crouched down on his knees and started shoving things back into his bookbag. After about a minute, he noticed something strange in the pile - a small, black box with intricate red designs on the lid. He slowly and carefully picked it up.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, the lid flipped open, causing Kenma to jump back in surprise. A tiny, glowing form rose up out of the box, and suddenly a little bug-like creature was looking Kenma directly in the eye. It was completely red, save for the big black spot on the center of its forehead. Kenma rubbed his eyes, not at all comfortable with this new development. He sat frozen, staring back at the creature, unsure of what to do. His frantic thoughts were stopped in their tracks as a small, fairy-like voice rang through the air.</p><p> </p><p>“Greetings, I am Tikki, also known as the Ladybug Kwami! Looks like you are the new holder of the Ladybug Miraculous!”</p><p> </p><p>She gave Kenma a bright smile, her big, round eyes looking quite joyful. Kenma opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. This kind of thing only happens in movies and games, not in real life. And even if it did, wouldn’t it happen to someone… more… heroic than him? Kenma hated physical activity after all, and crowds, and being the center of attention. He didn’t fit the archetype of “chosen one” in the slightest. He focused back on the Kwami.</p><p> </p><p>“…What is a miraculous?”</p><p> </p><p>Tikki flew closer to Kenma, who shrunk back slightly. “Well, a Miraculous is an artifact inhabited by a Kwami, like me, and its holder can use the artifact to transform into a superhero!”</p><p> </p><p>Yeah, this definitely wasn’t Kenma's strong suit.</p><p> </p><p>“…Why me?”</p><p> </p><p>Tikki blinked at the question. “Well, I’m not sure what his methods were, but the Guardian chose you!”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma’s face scrunched up a little.</p><p> </p><p>“But… I hate crowds and attention. And moving.”</p><p> </p><p>Tiki giggled. “Oh, don’t worry, there’s much more to being a hero than those things. You won’t need to worry about fatigue either, you get an immunity to that when you’re transformed.”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma thought for a couple moments, then scooted over to the box. He pulled out the earrings that were settled inside. He held them up for a second, looking at them closely. “Um… I don’t have pierced ears…”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not that difficult a thing to do is it?”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma shrugged. “How would I know, I’ve never thought about it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, it’s extremely important that you do so as soon as you can - Tokyo will be in need of you very soon!”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma looked up with mild concern on his face. “… what do you mean?”</p><p> </p><p>“One of the miraculouses went missing, and we sensed it becoming active. It is most likely going to be used for sinister purposes, and it’s very dangerous.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh. That’s… concerning.”</p><p> </p><p>~~~</p><p> </p><p>Out of all the ways that interaction could’ve gone, Kenma sneaking out of home to get his ears pierced at the nearest mall was not what he expected. A part of him still thought he was imagining things, but he was definitely holding some ladybug-spotted earrings in his hands, and he could feel Tikki rustling around in his hoodie pocket. The deed was less painful than he expected, considering that some random dude was punching a hole through his earlobes, but Kenma was still relieved when it was over.</p><p> </p><p>“So… to make the holes permanent you have to have a pair of earrings in them for about five weeks straight. We have a selection here for you to choose from.” Kenma nervously opened his palm to show the Miraculous earrings.</p><p> </p><p>“Will these work?”</p><p> </p><p>The guy blinked in slight surprise, then nodded slowly. “Yeah… that should be fine.” Kenma headed over to the mirror in the shop, carefully fastening the earrings in his ears. They suddenly turned completely black. His eyes widened slightly in surprise, but he’s glad that they’re a lot less… garish than before. He turned to the man, handing him the fee with a murmur of thanks. He then quickly hurried out of the shop.</p><p> </p><p>“… What the hell am I getting myself into…”</p><p> </p><p>~~~</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo grinned to himself, looking at the short string of texts between him and his long lost friend for a second before shutting his phone screen off. It was a short conversation, but it was proof that he’d found Kenma again - something he’d barely even dared to hope for. Kenma could’ve moved away, or not wanted to talk to him anymore, or they could’ve even spent years in the same school and never noticed for all he knew, but the universe was kind enough to let him stumble into a happy reunion. Maybe the world was finally gonna start to let him have his way in things for once…</p><p> </p><p>Before that though, he definitely had homework that he should probably start if he wanted to get it done at a decent hour. He had barely a clue how long it would take, but his homework when he was homeschooled was pretty brutal so he figured it was best to play it safe. Kuroo reached for his bag, but while shuffling through all the books trying to figure out which one seemed the least boring, he noticed a peculiar box at the bottom of the bag…</p><p> </p><p> Immediately intrigued, Kuroo pulled it out gently, examining it. It was quite a pretty box, and it was was rather small - almost like those ring boxes people propose with. He stared at the box, perplexed - why was this in his bag? It must have been shoved in there by mistake or something.</p><p> </p><p>The moment he clicked the lid open, the box rose up into the air, opening itself as a small orb of light emerged from it. Startled, Kuroo sent his bookbag careening at the box with a small screech of terror before fleeing to the opposite corner of the room. He picked up a small trophy on the way, holding it above his head, ready to strike again if necessary. Upon looking back towards the box, the light had evolved into a small black being, which looked almost like… a cat?</p><p> </p><p>Except it was floating.</p><p> </p><p>It was looking at him with an incredibly annoyed expression. “What was that for, dude? I’m not trying to hurt you or anything!” it snapped.</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo whisper-screamed in reply, his mouth ajar slightly.  The creature sighed in irritation.</p><p> </p><p>“Look, do you want superpowers or not?”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo stared silently for a few moments, processing the question.</p><p> </p><p>“Do I want a.. what now?”</p><p> </p><p>The little creature sighed exasparatedly.</p><p> </p><p>“I SAID. Do you want. Superpowers.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo blinked a few times, before the realization finally hit him. “Okay. So. You, a small creature with human sentience is trying to offer me… superpowers?”</p><p> </p><p>After the creature gives a curt nod, Kuroo continues. “So, there’s a few things that could be happening here - one, I fell asleep when I got home and this is a dream. Two, I am still awake and this is a hallucination. Three - you’re telling me the truth and you do exist and everything I’ve ever learned about the world is a… lie?” Kuroo looks over at his science books with a saddened expression, neatly tucked away on a shelf by his bed.</p><p> </p><p>The small floating cat floats up to Kuroo’s face. “It’s the last one. I’d show off some of those powers to prove it but I don’t want to break your house or something. Also, I’m a Kwami by the way, and my name is Plagg. So, are you in or what?”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo spends one more moment in deep thought, before taking a deep breath.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m in.”</p><p> </p><p>“FINALLY,” Plagg groaned. “Now, first thing you do, is put that ring on.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo complied, holding out his hand to inspect it.</p><p> </p><p>“Ooo, silver, that’s pretty nice…”</p><p> </p><p>“Next, to transform, you say ‘Plagg, claws out’. After that-”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo immediately held his hand high over his head. “PLAGG, CLAWS OUT!”</p><p> </p><p>The Kwami whooshed into the ring, turning it completely black, save for a green paw in the center. There was a searing burst of green light, and then Kuroo was back to standing in his room. No one but himself. However, he felt different… stronger maybe? Kuroo looked back down at the ring again and a small yelp escaped his throat - his hand was now completely covered in a black fabric, with long dark nails that looked almost like claws. Upon darting over to the mirror on his wall, his reflection might as well have been a complete stranger, and yet, it felt like him in a way his reflection never had before. His hair was out of his eyes, which was now missing it’s signature fringe, in favor of a slightly more symmetrical mass of chaos on his head, covering his ears. The color of his irises had spread all over his eyes, giving him a panther-like look. A dark mask hid his face, with two small prongs at the corners - not unlike Batman. A black leathery suit covered him from the neck down, and a spiked leather collar with a small golden bell wrapped around his neck like a choker. Two feline ears peeked through the mass of hair on his head, and he now sported a long, sleek tail. A black belt was fitted around his waist, where a short metal dowel of some kind was attached to his hip.</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo did a couple poses, a feeling of immense joy welling inside him when he found out the tail and ears could move. A bit of experimenting also led him to discover that his new claws were retractable. He zipped around the room, climbing the large wall of windows with ease with his increased jump height. This was, without a doubt, the best day of his life. Kuroo perched on the sill of one of the higher windows, where one was slightly ajar for fresh air. If a stint of freedom was allowed to him, now was as good a time as any, since no one was to disturb him while he did his homework. After investigating the pane for a bit, he gently pushed it open a bit more, and wriggled his way through.</p><p> </p><p>The fresh air brushed gently across his face. Kuroo took a deep breath in, savoring the smell of outside, and then he jumped.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Into the Unknown</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kuroo skipped the tutorial, but tries to figure out his powers anyway.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Kuroo had felt many things over his lifetime - regret, fear, anger, happiness - but none of that quite prepared him for the tumultuous mountain of emotions that he was currently facing- the feeling of freedom, even it was only a taste.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">True, unhindered freedom.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">He felt at first a rush of excitement, as he silently slipped down the multistoried skyscraper that his home was in. The fear began to set in when he realized just how high up he was, and how noticeable he might be. He was glad it was mostly dark, it at least masked his descent somewhat.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">After a few close calls, Kuroo managed to leap to the street below. The fear quickly subsided and was replaced by excitement once again, as well as an overwhelming feeling when he realized he could go wherever he pleased. Granted, he wasn’t sure he was quite up fore the idea of being seen by strangers as he rocketed down the streets in a glorified cat costume. His feline ears easily picked up new sounds, and as he crept into a dark alleyway he realized he had no problem seeing without light at all.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">He slipped from alley to alley, peering down towards the more well-lit streets in fascination and longing. His emotions were slowly dampened by a sad feeling, knowing even in this form it would be impossible to live his dream of just being a normal teenager, perusing the mall with a group of friends. He could see it in his minds eye - Bokuto on one side, enjoying some mochi;Kenma on the other, paying more attention to his game than their surroundings. Kuroo wondered if Kenma would go to an arcade if he asked him. Pitting Kenma’s distaste for public spaces and his love for games against each other - Kuroo wasn’t sure what the outcome would even be.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">As he mused about all this, Kuroo had carefully made his way to the nearest shrine park, figuring it might be safe to check out his new powers there. As he leapt up into the trees and made his way inward, he stopped for a moment, sliding the short silver rod from its holster on his hip. It was silver, with a green glowing paw that matched the one on his ring. He started to wish he had paused to listen to that strange cat creature a bit more as he spun the short baton in his hands, wondering what use it could really be.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <em>Is this a weapon? It’s kinda short, I wish it was a bit longer-</em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Kuroo’s thoughts are interrupted as the stick suddenly doubled in length, extending straight into his face. He let out a surprised cry as he tumbled out of the tree onto the ground. He sat up, unexpectedly unharmed by the fall. He crawled over to the stick and grabbed it, thinking <em>I wish this would go back to it’s original length.</em></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The stick immediately shortened.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Noiiice,” Kuroo said, nodding in approval. This was an unconventional but extremely useful tool indeed. Kuroo couldn’t wait to use it in action.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Wait, what action was he supposed to use this for again?</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <em>I really should have listened to that cat thing.</em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Kuroo’s thoughts were cut short as he heard a <em>swish </em>signifying the rustle of tree leaves, followed by a loud <em>snap</em>. He immediately turned towards where the noise was coming from, and saw a wide-eyed figure in a red, tight-fitting suit hurtling through the sky. Towards his face.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Kuroo threw his hands up, but was knocked to the ground once again as he was hit in full force by the masked person. This time it hurt a little, as he had no arms to brace him for impact, and his head smacked back against the concrete ground with a sharp <em>thud.</em></p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">~~~</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Kuroo’s eyes slowly opened up to see a big dark void staring back at him with round golden eyes. A chilling breeze swept across his face. As his eyes began to focus, he realized the eyes actually belonged to a person, who was backdropped by what Kuroo guessed was the night sky. Their eyes were framed by some strange fabric, which stretched all the way down their face like a surgical mask. They had black hair a little shorter than shoulder length, with the top half of it tied back by a red ribbon.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">As soon as Kuroo’s eyes started to widen, the figure sat up straight, startled. Kuroo slowly sat up, noting the light pain in the back of his head. In full view, they had a red superhero suit, covered shoulder to toe in symmetric black spots, accented by black on the hands and feet. The collar of the suit reached all the way up their neck, and was pure black.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Kuroo suddenly remembered where he was, and why he was there.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <em>He was a superhero.</em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Uh… are you alright?” The masked stranger asked in a soft voice.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Kuroo stretched his arms, moving his head side to side. Everything seemed to be all in order.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">”I’ve been worse. How about yourself? You did fall on me right?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The stranger looked away as Kuroo made eye contact with them.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I’m fine… also I’m sorry. That was not what I was meaning to do at all.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Kuroo smiled. “You just got some kickass superpowers right? From a weird flying creature in a box? It’s cool, I can’t control mine yet either.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The stranger gave a small nod and stood up. They offered Kuroo a hand, who accepted it as he pulled himself off the ground with a small grunt.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“So, Polka Dot-”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Don’t call me that.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“What do you want me to call you then?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The strange hero thought for a second.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“… Ladybug.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Simple and to the point. Nice. What I was going to ask was what cool weapon or tool… thing did you get? I’m gonna guess a grappling hook since you went flying up off a tree right?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Ladybug let out a small sigh and nodded.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Yeah, the branch broke. I actually have a yo-yo.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Kuroo stifled a laugh.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Yeah, it’s kinda funny. But it basically works like a grappling hook, so… yeah. What do you have?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“A stick.” Kuroo picked up the baton from the ground. Ladybug peered at it curiously.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Does it… do anything?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Kuroo grinned. “Actually, yeah. Watch THIS.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Kuroo thought as loud as possible in his head.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <em>I want this thing to be THREE METERS LONG! Cool, now shorten again, and long, and short. Hell yeah! </em>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">The baton instantly stretched itself to Kuroo’s qualifications.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Ladybug watched it curiously as it grew and shrunk, squinting at it.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“How are you doing that?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“With my MIND.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“How does that even… you know what. I don’t even care. Science is a lie.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“OI, I wouldn’t say it’s ALL a lie,” Kuroo huffed. Ladybug let out a soft noise Kuroo expected might be a chuckle.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“yea yeah, I know, I’m a pretty logical person myself,” they said. “I’m sure there’s an explanation for all… this.” They gestured vaguely at themselves and Kuroo, who grinned again as Ladybug stifled a yawn. Kuroo became suddenly and painfully aware that time was a thing and if he wasn’t back before his father came in to say goodnight… he didn’t even want to guess.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Wait, it’s pretty late, isn’t it. How long was I out?”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Uh… fifteen minutes I think?” Ladybug shrugged.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“I… should probably be heading home. I don’t want my family too miss me too much.” Kuroo winked. Ladybug’s expression changed, but it was unreadable to Kuroo behind their mask.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Okay, see you around. Make sure to be extremely careful with your identity.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Kuroo gave a nod. “I will also go learn the proper rules. I may have been too excited to listen the first time.” Ladybug sighed.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">“Perfect…”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Kuroo laughed, winked again, and leapt off into the night.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>It was my birthday this week so this chapter is a little short, but I hope it was entertaining anyway! Also, I should probably mention that all the chapter names have a (very loose) theme, points if anyone can figure it out ;)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The World Could Always Use More Heroes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kenma meets a new friend. Kuroo meets the ground.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So this is super late... Please forgive me, I'm new at this, and it's a bit rough trying to fit this into my college schedule ;~;  I am still going to try to have a chapter posted this weekend, originally this was supposed to cover the entire fight but I decided to split it in half so I could afford to go into more detail. Thank you all for your patience, and I hope you enjoy ^_^</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>A soft breeze swept through the schoolyard, a pleasant counter to the gentle beams of sunlight shining down. As warm and inviting as they were, they made it rather difficult for Kenma to see the screen of his PSP clearly. He usually would be hiding in a corner indoors somewhere but this school year so far seemed to have unexpected plans for his social life.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>~~~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The second day of school, Kenma had tried to find Kuroo during lunch to see if he could bring him to the sanctuary of a lesser-known hall corner, unbothered by nosy fans. He scanned the cafeteria to no avail, and had slunk off to enjoy his meal alone, as he usually did. He felt a soft rustle in his hoodie pocket, and Kenma realized he would technically have Tikki as company, though Kenma had instructed her to stay hidden during school hours. As he turned a corner, a brightly-colored shape whooshed around it, nearly knocking him to the floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The shape turned out to be one of the first-years Kenma had seen in the hall the day prior. He was shorter than even Kenma, but his loud presence more than made up for any lack of stature. His uniform was buttoned unevenly, and he had a banana-yellow hoodie underneath it, the brightness of which was aided by his vivid orange hair, which had nearly knocked Kenma’s game out of his hands as the kid bowed his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’M SO SORRY I DIDN’T SEE YOU I WAS RUNNING AND I KNOW I SHOULDN’T DO THAT BUT I FORGOT PLEASE FORGIVE ME!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma stood in silence for a second, trying to process what was happening, before giving a small grunt of acceptance.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, it’s fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The ginger head popped back upright with an expression of relief, but that expression evolved to excitement when his eyes found the console in Kenma’s hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“uWOOAH, Is that a PSP?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“SO COOL! I’ve been wanting to get one but it’s hard to save up…. Can I try yours??”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma’s eyes narrowed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata blinked for a second, before letting out a laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right, sorry. I just nearly broke it by running into you, didn’t I?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>The first-year reached out his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Hinata Shoyou! What’s your name?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma gave the hand a curt shake.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“... Kozume Kenma.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice too meet you, Kozume-senpai!”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma grimaced slightly. He never was a big fan of honorifics.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Just Kenma is fine...”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, okay!” Hinata smiled again. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, were you doing to go eat by yourself?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“...um... yeah. I always do....”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata gasped. “Don’t you have friends to hang out with?? If you need one, I could be your friend! Let’s go eat lunch outside!”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma blinked in surprise. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um….”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>~~~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The good thing about Hinata being so talkative was that Kenma didn’t have to say much of anything. He didn’t mind Kenma playing his game either, so the only thing in his way was the lack of shade. Kenma tried to shield the screen with his shadow, but he was still slightly off his game. Didn’t really matter too much, since he was just grinding levels anyway. Somehow listening to Hinata rant about some dude in fencing club made the chore less mundane. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“... and he acts all high and mighty, like he’s the king of the whole place or something. I think he’s just jealous because there’s this new famous guy who can keep up with him and he’s upset that he isn’t the best for once! Can you imagine? He’s worrying about the wrong fencer though, I’m going to be the strongest one soon enough! Though that dude looks really scary...”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma let out a small hum of agreement as he defeated yet another generic adversary.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Wait.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Famous guy?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“... Are you talking about Kuroo?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata looked over at Kenma, surprised that he was asking a question.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I was talking about Kageyama. But Kuroo’s the name of the scary famous dude, I think...” Hinata tilted his head curiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve heard of him? What’s he even famous for?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“...his father is a famous fashion designer, I think. He models his dad’s clothes in magazines sometimes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata’s eyes widened. “Oh WOW… now that you’ve said that I think I’ve seen him on a cover once.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma nodded. “Probably… he’s been on some pretty big ones.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata’s brow furrowed itself slightly in thought. “He looks so scary though… how does that work in modeling?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma shrugged. “Photoshop and good lighting can do wonders.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>In the past, Kenma had come across magazines with Kuroo on the front cover. He’d purchased a good few of them. Perhaps buying periodicals with your model ex-friend on them was a weird coping mechanism but whatever worked, right? Besides, no one needed to know.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma thought about the airbrushed, softer look of Altered Model Kuroo. He looked like a lankier version of the small kid he used to know, compared to his natural, sharper look of today.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Honestly though, he looks definitively better without all that,” he said thoughtfully. Hinata clapped a hand to his mouth and smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ohhhh you think he’s hot, don’cha~”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma sputtered quietly, completely blindsided by the comment. He could feel his face reddening. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“No… I mean… yes?... I guess... I don’t know, I never really thought about it… that way before.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hinata opened his mouth to reply but he was cut off by a loud </span>
  <em>
    <span>CRASH</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The sound appeared to have come from inside the school, and within the next few seconds Kenma started to hear screams. Several people ran out of the doors, with faces full of terror. The crash was followed by a noise that resembled a power drill - except it sounded much bigger.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma decided it was a good time to run when he felt the ground begin to shake. He noticed it was only trembling for a few seconds at a time, so he leapt up at the next break, shouted at Hinata to get the hell out, and headed towards the dumpsters at the side of the building. He could get decent cover behind those if he was lucky. If he was unlucky, he could get some cover inside them.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Trying not to think too hard about that latter option, Kenma ducked behind the nearest bin as he heard what he imagined to be the front wall of the school building crumble into pieces. He saw glimpses of people fleeing in all directions, and the screams were exponentially increasing in volume. A gleam caught Kenma’s eye and he felt a wave of shock take all the air in his lungs.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>A humongous metal being was tearing across the yard, glinting in the sun. Kenma estimated it to be six or seven meters tall, at least. It appeared to be made of some hodgepodge of steel armor, and one of its giant arms ended in a humongous lance-like drill. Its golem-like face had a beard of giant metallic shavings, and large brows furrowed in rage.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>As Kenma wondered what the </span>
  <em>
    <span>hell</span>
  </em>
  <span> that thing was doing in a school, he saw a dark, lanky figure streak across the field. As the figure pulled a dowel-like staff from his belt, Kenma realized it was the cat boy from the night before. The staff extended rapidly, and Kenma watched in horror as he attempted to vault up towards the golem, but was brutally swatted to the ground like he was little more than a housefly.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma’s stomach turned uncomfortably as it dawned on him that he had a job to do. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>An extremely dangerous, high stakes, probably painful job.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tikki,” Kenma whispered at his pocket. The bug-like creature floated out into the open. He gestured out towards the golem.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is this what I think it is?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Tiki looked on in concern.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, that’s probably the first Akuma you’ll be facing. Don’t worry, I’ll walk you through what you need to do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma looked between Tikki and the scene of carnage unfolding in the yard.  “Okay, but make it quick or Cat Guy is gonna be Pancake Guy before we can do anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Tikki nodded. “All right. So, Akumas take the form of butterflies and infect objects of people who feel strong emotions. When the object is infected, it allows Hawkmoth to take control of the person, and grant them superpowers. Your goal is to find the infected object and destroy it. This will release the Akuma. You can trap them in your yo-yo and de-evilize them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma let out a huff of laughter. “Butterflies… de-evilizing? Who came up with this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Tiki frowned. “I can tell you that another time. Right now you need to go help out! Oh, and one more thing - you have a superpower called Lucky Charm. When you use it, you will be given a random object to aid you. However, you will detransform five minutes after using it, so keep that in mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma nodded, trying to push down his fear. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“The last thing you do, is once you clear the Akuma, you can throw the Lucky Charm object in the air and shout ‘Miraculous Ladybug’, and it will revert everything that happened because of Miraculous powers.” </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. Anything else I should know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Tikki thought for a brief moment. “That should get you through this fight at least. Now go!!”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kenma hesitated for one more moment. This was really happening, and he had to save an entire city from a giant angry monster with a drill. It was just like a video game, he had no reason to be scared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Other than the fact that there were no redos.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span> “Tikki, spots on.”</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. This Is Not A Drill</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The new team of heroes take on their first villain.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter was a bit of a doozy to write, but I'm pretty happy with how it's turned out for now. Thanks everyone for your patience! :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>For a second, all Kuroo could think of was </span>
  <em>
    <span>pain </span>
  </em>
  <span>as his entire body collided with the unforgiving ground. He attempted to push himself up using his arms, but opted for rolling over to the side when he found himself struggling. He looked up at the hulking metal golem, who began to reach down for him. With a yelp, Kuroo managed to leap back just in time, adrenaline kicking in at full force.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo quickly scanned the ground for his staff as he began to scamper around behind the golem. Giant steps crashed down, and a couple of them only missed Kuroo by a hair. As he somersaulted between glinting ankles, he frantically tried to cook up some type of strategy.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>If he remembered correctly, there was some type of infected object he had to identify, and break. There would be some type of evil butterfly inside, and it had to be cleansed at all costs.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He also knew he needed to hold out for his partner in crimefighting, Ladybug, or else that butterfly would go free, as he lacked the power to de-evilize the thing himself. Kuroo hoped that he didn’t have to stall for too long  as he heard a couple screams from horrified onlookers.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo finally spotted his staff, and made a beeline towards it. His sprint was brought to an abrupt halt when a giant steel hand gripped him tightly around the torso. The comforting earth flew quickly away from his feet as he was lifted into the air, suddenly finding himself staring into a pair of large, brass pupils.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo shot the giant a grin. “Why hello, you great wad of tinfoil!” </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>It roared, causing Kuroo’s ears to ring.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span> “I’M NOT TINFOIL. I AM DRILLBYTE.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah woah bud, no need to </span>
  <em>
    <span>screw </span>
  </em>
  <span>with my hearing like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The giant screamed again, and lobbed Kuroo at the front wall of the school. He felt a spike of panic as he realized that he was on collision course with a classroom window, and he spotted a couple students backing up fearfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>...Maybe the window was better. He might be less likely to die.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He flung his arms up in front of his face to protect it, but instead of feeling impact on his face and chest, he felt something crash into his side, knocking the wind out of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>When he opened his eyes, he looked down to see a red and black-spotted arm wrapped around his waist. He heard a gentle </span>
  <em>
    <span>whirr </span>
  </em>
  <span>as Ladybug cast out their yo-yo string, and then a quiet curse as it missed the nearby tree, succumbing to gravity.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Crap. Hold on-”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo didn’t need to be told twice. He clung to Ladybug, resisting every urge to scream in the shock of it all.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The second attempt at grappling something was more successful, and while it wasn’t enough to spare them from the unforgiving ground, it angled their fall enough that Ladybug was able to send them into a rolling landing. They tumbled in the grass for a few seconds before coming to a stop, an ungraceful pile of limbs. When Kuroo finally let go of the breath he was holding, he groaned, feeling every bone in his body cry out in pain. He relinquished his grip on Ladybug and let his arms fall to his sides. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Ladybug immediately crawled off of him, brushed themselves off, and gave him a concerned look.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, are you ok…. Oh </span>
  <em>
    <span>gross</span>
  </em>
  <span>, what happened to your face?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo reached up towards his face, and when he pulled his hand away he saw bloodstains on his glove.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah. Bloody brilliant.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Ladybug snorted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“At least I’m not part window though. Nice…</span>
  <em>
    <span> cat</span>
  </em>
  <span>ch.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Okay, that’s enough.” Ladybug pushed themselves back onto their feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you stand?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo thought for a second, wincing when he tried to move. He didn’t think any of his limbs were broken, but the shock of what he just went through was still coursing through him, and his body would take a bit to accept the pain he was in.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span> “Give me like… two minutes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh… not sure we have that long but I’ll give you what I can.” Ladybug said. They seemed surprisingly calm about the whole situation, the only thing giving away their fear was a slight tremble in their voice. They stepped protectively in front of Kuroo, yo-yo in hand. He felt a rush of appreciation for his new hero partner as he took a shuddering breath, trying to gather his strength. He could feel the earth vibrate beneath him as the giant - Drillbyte -  started to walk towards them.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>“STOP!”</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone in the vicinity, even Drillbyte, turned towards the source of the cry. A small boy was standing atop the debris left behind from the golem’s mad dash to the outside world. His hair was brown, and slicked straight up, save for a small blonde piece on his forehead. Despite his size, he had an inexplicably commanding presence at the moment. He was pointing straight at Drillbyte.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“ASAHI AZUMANE!! I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE! </span>
  <em>
    <span>LISTEN TO ME!!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>The golem blinked for a second, then his metal brows furrowed back into a rageful glare.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I AM NOT ASAHI. I AM DRILLBYTE.” The drill arm began to whirr ominously.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“DAMMIT, ASAHI, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>KNOW</span>
  </em>
  <span> YOU’RE IN THERE! YOU CAN WIN!” The kid took a step towards the towering golem, without a single sign of fear. The drill picked up speed, and the giant took a step back at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, he’s gonna die,” Kuroo said weakly. Ladybug was standing very still, before finally letting out a small sigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You worry about getting on your feet. I’ll distract this thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks…” Kuroo wheezed. “Oh, and Ladybug?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Ladybug turned back towards him.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve got this. Just… </span>
  <em>
    <span>steel</span>
  </em>
  <span> yourself and you’ll be fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh shut UP.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Ladybug dashed over towards the kid, grabbing his arm and swinging swiftly out of harm’s way. In the nick of time, too, as the giant drill came down, screaming, into the debris, sending chunks of cement and wall plaster everywhere.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo finally managed to shakily push himself up into a sitting position. He wasn’t sure what broken ribs felt like, but he suspected this was it, as his torso screamed in agony. He noticed his baton was lying forgotten, not too far away from him. He crawled over towards it, feeling a renewed sense of urgency.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Once he finally managed to grasp it, he propped himself up back to standing. The pain was slowly turning to a background buzz, as he took several shallow breaths. He saw Ladybug swinging back into sight as he took a few steps forward, confirming his legs were indeed in working order.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ladybug took another rolling landing, purposefully this time, and flipped up to stand next to him. Drillbyte had taken notice and was on his way, drill whirring.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, I know where the Akuma is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo tilted his head slightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“See that headband he’s got?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Kuroo looked over, and finally noticed the metal band on Drillbyte’s forehead, hidden behind the wiry hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“For real? How the hell do we break </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Kuroo cried in exasperation.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Wait.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just kidding. I can break that.” Kuroo said. He had forgotten in the chaos that he had a superpower beyond his baton - Cataclysm. The power to destroy any one object.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, thats… helpful to know.” Ladybug replied. “So we just need to get you up there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Right.” Kuroo shook his arms experimentally. “So all my limbs work well enough, might have a broken rib though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I don’t think you can just climb him like that… why don’t we try my power?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I get a random object.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why the hell not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay then… Lucky Charm…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>A flash of light blinded Kuroo momentarily, as a small object materialized in front of Ladybug and fell into their outstretched hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“A goddamn </span>
  <em>
    <span>necktie</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you’ve got to be KIDDING.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“We can figure that out in a sec, right now we gotta MOVE.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Ladybug grabbed Kuroo around the waist again and swung out of the way, as the massive drill left a gaping hole where they had just stood. As they landed much more smoothly at the other side of the schoolyard, Kuroo watched Ladybug’s face as their eyes narrowed in thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, their eyes widened.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Alright, break it down quick! This is </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> a drill.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m ignoring that. Okay, so, I think I have a way to get that drill stuck in the ground for a bit, if you distract him and let him drill down. You can then run up the arm. That’s where this comes in.” They toss the necktie to Kuroo.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“So… um…” Ladybug became quiet for a second, struggling to find the right wording.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You… have you seen </span>
  <em>
    <span>Mulan?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Frickin’ love it. Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know how she climbs that pole with the weights?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo gasped in realization. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Say no more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay. See you on the other side. Be more careful this time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo nodded, shooting a grin at Ladybug as he put on the necktie for safekeeping.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I may be broken beyond repair but I promise you can count on me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Meh. You’ll be fine.” With that they swung off towards the giant. Kuroo started to run behind, willing the pain in his ribs to stay down for just a little bit longer. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fine my ass… I’ll just not think about it right now.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Ladybug landed by a sturdy looking tree, sending their yo-yo whirling around the trunk several times. Kuroo hobble-ran towards Drillbyte.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span> “HEY, you giant rust bucket! Let Asahi out!”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Drillbyte growled, poising his drill right above Kuroo, who jumped back just as it went down. As soon as the drill touched earth, Ladybug sent the other end of their yo-yo swinging around the drill, and it started to wind up in the clutches of the terrifying machine. Suddenly the drill stopped, completely jammed by the yo-yo, and the string was so taught between the drill and the tree that Drillbyte’s entire arm was rendered mostly immobile.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span> Kuroo leapt up onto the drill, using the notches in it as a ladder. As he took a running start up the arm, he quickly freed the tie, and grabbed one end of it in each hand. He leapt up towards Drillbyte’s shoulder, which had a spike jutting out. He would never have been able to cling to the metal on his own, even with his claws, but the tie was perfect for swinging over the spike. Kuroo held on tight, using his legs to push himself up further until he was able to make a mad leap onto Drillbyte’s shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He almost fell off as he crawled on all fours towards the spiky hair, as Drillbyte attempted to yank his arm free, and used his other hand to try and smack the daylights out of Ladybug. He stood back up shakily and threw the tie around Drillbyte’s ear, vaulting himself into the mass of metal wiring that made up his hair. Having a proper hold now, he pulled himself towards the front of the giant’s head. He raised up a clawed hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“CATACLYSM!”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>A flash of green light emitted from his hand, followed by dark mist spewing out of his palm. He slapped his hand down onto the headband, and the darkness spread into it, causing it to disintegrate.  Drillbyte roared as he was surrounded by a thick purple haze, and he began to shrink rapidly. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo clung on for dear life, but instead of a giant, he suddenly found himself gripping the hair of a regular sized human person, who yelped. He immediately let go, apologizing profusely. The man looked around in confusion and terror.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wha.. where am I? What happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Ladybug sent their now-recovered yoyo flying into the sky. It opened up like ladybug wings, snatching up a small, dark butterfly that was making its way towards the clouds. After a quick clockwise swing, Ladybug tapped the Yo-yo, popping it open again. A pure white butterfly fluttered out of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“All right, that should be that,” Ladybug said. He held out a hand to Kuroo. “The tie, please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Kuroo handed it over, Ladybug threw it into the sky. “Miraculous ladybug.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A reddish-pink swirl of what looked like pixie dust (or at least Kuroo supposed) came out of the object as it disintegrated, which swirled around the damaged areas of the yard, as well as Kuroo. The pits vanished, the debris whooshed back into the walls, and Kuroo noticed he was suddenly pain-free.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah, nice. You weren’t kidding about me being fine. Thanks. By the way, you’re an actual genius for figuring out the necktie thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t read the expression on Ladybug’s face because of the mask, but he suspected they had a small smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>“ASAHI!”</b>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The detransformed high schooler was suddenly bowled over by the boy that had been shouting earlier. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Noya, what’s happening? I saw sparkling pink lights? Am I going crazy? I was just in the bathroom-”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You turned into a giant metal drill monster!”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I- what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. It was INSANE. You drilled a hole in the walls and beat the hell out of this guy - ” Noya pointed at Kuroo, who huffed -  “ And you kept saying you weren’t Asahi anymore, you were Drillbyte...”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Drill… byte?” Asahi looked around at Kuroo and Ladybug. “Are you transformed like that too?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Noya laughed. “No, silly. They’re superheroes. Real, actual, superheroes. They saved us. They saved you!” He smiled, and Kuroo spotted a tear running down Noya’s face.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Ladybug blushed slightly. “Couldn’t’ve done it without you, you told us where the Akuma was hiding. Just. Please don’t stand in harm’s way screaming next time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi gasped.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You did what..??”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I was trying to contact you! You did almost drill me in the face though...”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>A look of horror dawned on Asahi’s face. “I’M SO SORRY OH MY GOD I CAN’T BELIEVE I LET THAT HAPPEN I-”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Asahi.”  Noya looked him straight in the eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m</span>
  </em>
  <span> sorry. In the bathroom earlier… I was just trying to give you a pep talk, help you fight your fears, but I didn’t realize how messed up that was making you. I made it worse, and you turned into a monster. I mean, you were a sick ass monster, but you weren’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> anymore. I don’t ever want that to happen again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Tears welled up in Asahi’s eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Noya-”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to learn some better ways to help you. I’ll ask Suga-san, I’m sure he knows some tips. I really care about you, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Asahi pulled Noya into a hug as he burst into tears. Noya hugged him back fiercely.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo and Ladybug exchanged an awkward look, as Ladybug’s earrings let out a soft </span>
  <em>
    <span>beep</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Crap, I’m gonna turn back. I gotta go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo nodded. “Right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Real quick though - you got a name yet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yup. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Chat Noir</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It’s French.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fancy. See you next time, Chat Noir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo smiled and waved as Ladybug swung off for the last time that day. He turned and headed in the opposite direction, sneaking around to the back of the school. He climbed up onto the roof, and reached the top just as he was enveloped in a faint flash of light.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Plagg swooped out of the ring, immediately groaning.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am SO HUNGRY. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to do that. You still have the cheese right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“It's in my bookbag, you picky little cat goblin.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Live by the Sword</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kenma gets a first-class seat to a fencing lesson gone awry.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello hello, long time no see! The like, three people who actively follow this fic might be thinking "dude, it's been like a month, what happened?" Long story short, Midterms + That Virus We're All Sick Of Hearing About. I got moved out of my dorm and I've been just trying to remember how to be a human the last few weeks. I'll continue to upload on weekends when I can, and I just wanna say thanks to everyone who's left kudos and comments, they really helped me to push through all this and get back on my feet. Y'all rock ^-^ </p><p>PS, I have some announcements at the end of this chapter ;)</p><p>Anyway enough jabber, here's the chapter lol</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“En garde.”</p><p> </p><p>Two masked figures faced each other, clad in white. They each held a narrow, unsharpened sword in their hand. A short, elderly man stood nearby, who was playing referee. Kenma watched closely from the sidelines. </p><p> </p><p>“Pret.”</p><p> </p><p>The figures stepped into a fighting stance.</p><p> </p><p>“Allez!”</p><p> </p><p>The two opponents leapt towards each other, swords swooshing around too quick for Kenma to follow properly. The smaller of the two thrusted their sword forward, but the taller one narrowly sidestepped it, giving a return parry that hit his opponent’s shoulder. The man blew a short whistle, signifying a point was made. Both fencers pulled off their helmets, revealing wild tufts of black and orange hair.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata let out a groan of frustration, throwing his hands over his head. Kuroo gave him a cheeky grin.</p><p> </p><p>“Nice try, shrimpy. You’re getting faster - you nearly got me that time!”</p><p> </p><p>The older man came over to the duo and began offering Hinata some critiques. Kuroo sauntered over to where Kenma sat, grabbing his water bottle on the way.</p><p> </p><p>“I see you’re actually watching this time,” he grinned. Kenma gave a small nod.</p><p> </p><p>“PSP’s dead.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo laughed. “Figured.”</p><p> </p><p>It was a bit of a lie on Kenma’s end; the PSP was in fact still kicking, but it was on low battery and Kenma wanted to save it for the walk home. He also had realized that fencing was the closest thing to actual fight training there was in this school, and Kenma was gonna need all the education he could get.</p><p> </p><p>He’d also quickly began to realize how mesmerizing fencing could be to watch, especially with the more adept fighters. Kuroo’s smooth, natural movements contrasted starkly with Hinata’s random bursts of motion. Kenma wondered how much practice it had taken for Kuroo to move with such effortless grace, dodging out of his opponent’s way and gently pricking them with his blade.</p><p> </p><p>“You were paying pretty good attention from the looks of it,” Kuroo continued. “You seemed, dare I say… mildly impressed?” He flashed another grin at Kenma when he offered no denial.</p><p> </p><p>“You’ve been practicing for years. Of course it’s impressive what you can do.” Kenma couldn’t help but offer a small smile - he wasn’t sure why.</p><p> </p><p>Hinata came bouncing up to the duo, holding his own water bottle. He downed a big gulp and brushed the water off his face with his arm, and groaned.</p><p> </p><p>“That move you did was so cool! I’ll defeat you one day, Kuroo-san,” he stated. “Kageyama too.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo laughed. “Well, he and I are fairly evenly matched. That guy has skill though, he may well surpass me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well then, I’ll just have to improve even faster. Can you teach me the technique you did?”</p><p> </p><p>“You’ll have to get a bit better first, shrimpy.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo let out a chuckle as Hinata scowled.</p><p> </p><p>“Why do you wanna beat him so bad anyway?” Kenma asked. Shoyou always seemed to find a baffling amount of motivation for the strangest things.</p><p> </p><p>“He trash-talked me in the locker room on the first day! And what’s even worse is I… lost to him, badly.” Hinata’s face scrunched up in distaste at the memory. “I vowed I would become the best fencer one day, and get my revenge once and for all! Besides, he’s super mean to me. Something about his stupid face just makes me feel all… GRRAH inside, you know?”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma blinked in confusion, but nodded slowly because he wasn’t sure he even wanted an explanation. Kuroo let out a cackle that made a few nearby pupils shoot a glance at them. Kenma was grateful that they didn’t seem as persistently nosy as the regular school crowd.</p><p> </p><p>“You really are a riot! I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone quite as spunky as you, shrimpy… except maybe Bokuto. Even he gets in a funk sometimes though.” Kuroo paused in brief thought. “… Maybe I should introduce you two sometime.”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma immediately made a face. “Oh, god. Kuro, are you trying to get the world blown to smithereens?” He felt tired just <i>thinking<i> of the shenanigans those two could pull if they put their tiny brains together.</i></i></p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Kenma’s thoughts were pierced by a shrill whistle.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Damn, break’s over already?” Kuroo groaned. He took a swig of water and placed it in his backpack as Hinata beelined towards the practice area. “I’ll try and catch you once practice ends!” </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Kenma gave a small nod as Kuroo sauntered off to join the rest of the fencers. He spent the next few minutes mindlessly playing Candy Crush while the teacher explained the different movements and strategies, but kept an ear open for anything that could potentially be useful.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Eventually the students paired off again to spar. Hinata had been sqabbling with his self-declared rival and seemed determined to duel him, and Kuroo’s partner instead was a tall, lanky blonde guy with glasses, who seemed only half-interested in being there. Definitely the most relatable guy Kenma’d seen in a while.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>He ended up being better than Kenma expected, offering Kuroo considerably more resistance than Hinata did (to be fair beating Hinata wasn’t a high standard). Kenma surmised that he could probably do even better if he actually cared. Still, Kenma was able to see Kuroo move more than once or twice on several rounds, and at some point thought less of the technicals like he had planned and more on how mesmerizing Kuroo could be when he was focusing. He was so loose and confident, so familiar with the movements that he seemed to genuinely be having some fun with it all, instead of focusing like so many others.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Something snapped in Kenma when Kuroo took off his helmet this time, flicking his hair slightly in a vain attempt to brush away the fringe covering his eye. He felt a jolt of… some kind of emotional response, that was for sure. It almost felt like how a good jumpscare would feel, except somehow it wasn’t scary. Which was probably good because Kenma had no idea why he would be suddenly spooked by Kuroo’s face.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Weird.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>As Kuroo ran over for a quick water break, his signature grin shining, Kenma felt his heartbeat quicken. He had the sudden realization that he could not take his eyes off of his schoolmate, almost as if he was caught in some kind of trance.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Weird and also concerning.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“… you alright?”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Kenma blinked rapidly, forcing himself to tear his gaze away from those kind, gentle eyes.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Oh. Um.. yeah. Just realized that I… forgot to save my game.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Kuroo let out a chuckle and Kenma felt that strange jolt again.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>What was going on?</i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Both boys’ attention was suddenly grabbed by a shout. It was Hinata, and he was sitting on the ground, staring up towards his sparring partner.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“HEY! What was that for?!”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>The taller figure stood silently, staring down at Hinata. The teacher immediately walked over.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“What happened?”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Hinata took his helmet off, hair somehow even wilder than usual. Kenma noted the specific lack of jolt-y feelings.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“He… he tripped me!”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Kageyama leaned over towards Hinata slightly. “Look, dumbass, how about you actually watch where you’re feet are going and not get in my way like you’re SUPPOSED to do?!”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“How about YOU watch where YOUR feet are going, huh?!!”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>The teacher poised to speak, but was interupted by another student who had just taken his helmet off as well.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“Cool it, Kageyama. Not everyone’s perfect like <i>you <i>.”</i></i></i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Kenma felt uneasy about the amount of malice he heard in those last few words.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Shut it, Kindaichi. How is this my fault!? If this kid is so clumsy why is he trying to fight saber style? Try something slower, you idiot!” The last sentence was directed at Hinata, who winced at the words but immediately stood up.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“I’m doing saber because I like saber! What more is there to it?”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>The guy with glasses Kuroo had been sparring tsk’ed a couple times.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Oop, there it is. You’re trying to order around peasants again, huh King?”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Wow. EVERYBODY seemed to have a problem with Kageyama. Honestly Kenma felt he kinda deserved it a bit, he’d be uncomfortable around him too.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Kageyama’s entire body stiffened up at the mention of “King.”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Don’t. Call. Me. That,” Kageyama snarled.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Well then don’t act like one,” Glasses guy responded, remaining eerily collected. Kageyama took a small step back in surprise.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“THAT’S ENOUGH!” The teacher roared. Everyone immediately fell silent.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“I cannot BELIEVE this <i> embarrassing </i> lack of sportsmanship among you all.” He scowled at the teenagers surrounding him. “This will not go unpunished. All of you involved, I won’t be allowing you back into practice for the rest of the week. Class is dismissed early. Now pack your ba-“</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“NO!”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Both Hinata and Kageyama had shouted in despair, looking at the old coach. Kenma didn’t need to see his face to feel the rage-filled expression he had. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Get. Out. <i>Now.</i>”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>The two boys immediately changed their body language, looking sheepishly at their feet, muttering that Kenma assumed to be an apology and running off towards their respective stuff. Hinata’s was near Kenma, and he and Kuroo looked on as he started to sniffle, shoving his stuff angrily into his bag. Kenma wanted to say something but he wasn’t sure anything he did would help much, so he just sat there helplessly as Hinata went running out towards the lockers, after the rest of the dismissed students.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Kenma looked over to Kuroo, who grimaced. “Ouch.”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Tell me about it,” Kenma said. Kuroo opened up his own bag and tossed his water bottle inside.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Well,” he said, “My ride won’t be here for like, another hour. Do you wanna chill in the yard for a bit?”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>Kenma felt that strange little jolt again.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>“Sure.”</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>One day I will actually put the conflict and between-times in the same chapter. Today is not that day. Thanks again y'all for reading so far! I'm already working on the next chapter :D</p><p>I have two mini-announcements for y'all:</p><p>1. The chapter titles are song titles, and I'm making a playlist of them all. There's not really a lot of coherency in the genres or anything, but they're the vibes I have for each chapter. You can find the playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5VT4WjSYvUOkV6RjOr1cNs?si=BgDexTpBQLaEgZ-A8cmHFA</p><p>2. I have some other character POV's I would like to write from. Should they stay in this fic or have their own mini-fic with their arcs? Also, should I keep switching POV's between Kuroo and Kenma between chapters or between "episodes" (aka after every fight)?</p><p>That's all for now I think, thanks all one last time :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Throne</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kuroo offers two very different propositions to two very different people.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Good news, so far it looks like I'm back to my weekly upload schedule for now. I may have just jinxed it by saying that but meh.</p><p>I have something cool for y'all tho - way back when I was coming up with the story for this like a year ago I drew out some designs for our dear Miraculous holders! It's just a sketch taken on a potato camera phone but it's something lol.  You can find them here: https://skyfyrecity.tumblr.com/post/614138585415843840/some-old-sketches-i-made-of-my-kuroken-miraculous</p><p>Thanks again for sticking with this lil passion project of mine. Every kudos means a lot to me &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kuroo felt an unexpected unease as they stepped out into the sunny, warm courtyard. Just a few days ago it was torn and destroyed by a monster of unknown origins, and he had damn well had a near-death experience out here. He hoped he hadn’t scarred his new business partner too much, he probably had looked terrible. Maybe coming out to the courtyard wasn’t such a good idea…</p><p> </p><p>“…ro… Kuro?”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo’s attention suddenly returned to the present when he heard his friends soft voice next to him. It offered a strange calming effect, which Kuroo didn’t understand but it’s not like he was gonna complain.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh. Sorry,” he said. “It’s just…”</p><p> </p><p>“Did you see what happened out here yesterday?”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo let out a small nod.</p><p> </p><p>“Same.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo looked over at Kenma quizzically. “You must’ve had a good hiding spot, I didn’t see you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Behind the dumpsters.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, nice.” </p><p> </p><p>“Thanks…”</p><p> </p><p>“… That was one hell of a something huh.”</p><p> </p><p>“God yeah. I heard so much screaming…“</p><p> </p><p>They both sat in silence for a minute.</p><p> </p><p>“Good thing we had heroes to help us out though, yeah?” Kuroo looked up towards the sky. “They’ll get their bones smashed so we don’t have to.”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma made a face.</p><p> </p><p>“…too soon.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo looked over at Kenma, slightly worried. So Kenma <i>had</i> seen him get pummeled into the earth? And he looked kinda shaken, too. Damn.</p><p> </p><p>
  <i>I’m gonna have to up my game. I don’t wanna mess people up like that. Or myself for that matter.</i>
</p><p> </p><p>“Anyway,“ Kuroo said in a falsely cheerful tone, “I wanted to actually ask you if you were free on Friday evening? I’m allowed to have a ‘quiet, respectful friend’ over to ‘study’ once a week.” He looked over at Kenma expectantly.</p><p> </p><p>“…Like, at your house?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, but we’d probably just stay in my room mostly,” he replied. Kenma thought in silence for a moment. It was equal parts impressive and frustrating to Kuroo that he was able to keep his face more or less the same expression most of the time. It made it near impossible to tell what he was thinking. Kuroo felt more nervous as each second ticked by. </p><p>“You don’t have to come,” he said. “I know it’s big and my dad is kinda intimidating. I’d ask Bo but you know how he is, heh.” Kuroo couldn’t believe that someone as used to criticism as him was getting wrecked by asking his classmate to come visit.</p><p>“… Sure, I’ll let my mom know.” Kenma finally replied. Relief swept over Kuroo, then excitement.</p><p> </p><p>“Cool! I’ll help you with what you need to work on in class and then we can totally play some Mario Kart or something.”</p><p> </p><p>“… coo-“</p><p> </p><p>“HEY!!”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo and Kenma whipped around to see Hinata running at them full-tilt.</p><p> </p><p>“WE GOT ANOTHER VILLAIN IN THERE!”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo felt his heart jump into his mouth; he wasn’t sure he was ready for another fight. He was barely recovered from the first one. He noticed Kenma stiffen at the statement. No doubt he was shaken up a fair bit himself. Kuroo silently made a promise that he wouldn’t let him get spooked this time.</p><p> </p><p>Unfortunately for him, he didn’t get a choice in the matter.</p><p> </p><p>His thoughts were interrupted by Kenma’s voice, somehow still so calm and soothing even in this disaster.</p><p> </p><p>“We should probably split up,” he said. “That way we can endanger as few people as possible while we wait for the heroes.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo wasn’t sure if this was the wisest plan, but also he kinda needed an excuse to get himself alone so he didn’t protest.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay. Stay safe everybody. See you on the other side. We scatter in 3, 2, 1!”</p><p> </p><p>~~~</p><p>Kuroo somehow felt much safer as his alter ego, even if the last time he was transformed like this he got the crap beaten out of him. He leapt from the building he was on with confidence and ease, catching hold of a tree to slow his fall as if it were second nature. He noticed there didn’t appear to be much commotion outside yet - to be fair most folk weren’t in the school after hours anyway, but so far no giants had sprung out of the building. That’s probably a good sign as far as brute strength goes, but perhaps this Akuma was another type of monster entirely. He’d better keep his wits about himself.</p><p> </p><p>He slipped through the shadows, hoping that he was actually hard to spot in the dark corners he leapt between, crouched in stalk of his target. He was about ten meters from the nearest school building when he saw the front doors burst open.</p><p> </p><p>He wasn’t sure what he expected to see come out of them, but a small squadron of knights was not it.<br/>They marched in perfect sync, feathers bobbing on their helmeted, anonymous heads. Had multiple people gotten Akumatized? </p><p> </p><p>His mind flashed back to his fencing classmates and their argument, Hinata running outside-</p><p> </p><p>Crap.</p><p> </p><p>The small row of knights split in half, lining the doorway. A final knight came out of the door- wait no, not a knight. The guy was dressed in armor, but it was much more intricate, and a red, fur-lined cape swished out behind him. He didn’t wear a helmet on his head, but instead, a crown. His full face exposed, Kuroo immediately recognized him as the tall kid Hinata so fervently wished to defeat in combat. Kageyama Tobio.</p><p> </p><p>
  <i> Oh the poetic irony,<i> he thought. They called him a tyrannical king, and now he was one. </i></i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Kuroo realized it might be best to stay back a minute and investigate further. The drill giant had been one thing to figure out, but what could a king be capable of? Kuroo didn’t know why, but he was sure that his long, definitely-sharp-looking sword wasn’t the only thing in this guy’s arsenal.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>He watched Kageyama stroll down the stairs, purposeful, graceful. Not the Kageyama anyone knew. The royal figure gazed around the empty courtyard, perhaps looking for more people to join his court of knights. Or perhaps he was looking for two heroes who were sorely new at their job, eager to destroy them before they became any level of a threat.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>He turned around to address his knights. “You two,” he barked at the nearest pair, “stay with me. The rest of you, search the grounds for recruits. I know there’s more here.” A sinister lilt crept into his voice. “The one who finds Hinata Shoyou and brings him to me will be granted the honor of becoming a General.“</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Oh. This was a new development.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Kuroo saw a flash of red in the borders of his vision. It was Ladybug, with Hinata in tow, swinging down from the building, out of sight of the knights. They wouldn’t be for long, though.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Guess it was time to do his job.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“HEY!”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Kageyama looked up, and the expression he wore almost froze Kuroo entirely. He immediately drew his sword, as did his two new bodyguards. Kuroo let out a loud laugh, trying to force back the fear.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“A King, are you? Of what? This tiny little school? LAAAME.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Kuroo hoped his insults would get better along with his fighting skills. The jab did have the desired effect, however, as it drew the whole entourage’s attention, at least for the moment. Kuroo wondered briefly if Ladybug’s restoration power could bring people back from the dead as he unclipped his baton from his belt.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“I bet I could best ALL of you in a duel. Right here, right now!” He pointed the baton directly at Kageyama’s scowling face, which darkened even more. Kuroo fought back a wince as he saw the baton shaking in his hand - he was trembling. Kageyama let out a chilling laugh.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>“You think you can defeat the King of the Court, huh?” He sneered. “Good luck, scared-y cat.”</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Kuroo let out a huff. “Hey, I’m only sword of scared.” He positioned himself into the beginning fencing stance.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i> <i> Just breathe.</i> </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Kuroo cursed under his breath when he noticed the other knights start off to continue their search. He hoped that Ladybug had enough time to make an escape. </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Kageyama lunged forward. Kuroo yelped and leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the sharp point of the blade. Thanks to all the fencing training he’d had in his life, he was easily able to regain his balance. This was no training session though, and failure would almost certainly mean death. He scanned his opponent, searching for weaknesses. </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>He did not see the knight behind him raise his sword.</i>
  </i>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. You Should See Me In A Crown</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nobody knows what they're doing and things spiral out of control.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kenma felt a wave of relief after he successfully swung down to the ground on the other side of the school fence, Hinata in tow. The kid was way easier to carry around than Chat Noir due to his smaller size, but Kenma’d had enough when it came ungraceful landings.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You should find a better hiding place next time, kid,” he said, releasing his grip on Hinata, who crossed his arms and huffed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It was fine! I was just peeking out for a second to see what was happening.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kenma shushed him, giving him a glare to nail in his point. It seemed to work, as Hinata whispered a quick apology.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You heard the guy. He’s looking for you for whatever reason. We have to get you out of here, now.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A loud shout from the school caught both of their attention. It didn’t sound like a cry for help - it sounded like a challenge. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kenma heard the voice go on. He couldn’t quite hear what the dude was saying, other than a drawn-out “lame” at the end of his sentence. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Was this guy taunting the King?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He turned to Hinata to instruct him to stay hidden, but his heart jumped to his throat when he saw the empty space next to him. He heard a scraping sound above his head, and looked up to see Hinata completing his climb up the stone wall, worryingly visible as he peered over towards the action. Kenma easily leapt up the wall with his enhanced agility. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What are you doing!?” he hissed. “We gotta <i> go.</i>”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What about Cat Guy?” Hinata pointed. Kenma felt a second wave of shock as he saw the dark figure of Chat Noir, who appeared to be preparing to duel the King himself. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kenma did not like the odds of that fight.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Just then, a knight rounded the corner and marched their direction, right below their perch. Kenma didn’t know how they remained undetected at first but it wasn’t for long. Hinata pounced on the guy, who hit the grass with a surprisingly quiet <i>thunk.</i> Hinata hopped back up, grabbing the fallen knight’s weapon.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Oh<i> hell </i>no.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Stop it,” Kenma whisper-yelled as best as he could, dropping down to join Hinata on the ground, who was already heading towards the scene. Kenma saw the King make a jab at Chat, who slipped out of the way with unexpected grace. Perhaps the odds weren’t so bad after all…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Then he saw the knight sneaking up behind, sword raised.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kenma tried to shout a warning but no words came out. He closed his eyes and curled away from the scene, waiting for the awful sound of metal slicing through flesh. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>What he heard instead was a deafening <i>CLANG.</i></p>
<p> </p>
<p>He looked up to see that Hinata had leapt out into the yard, somehow making it all the way over to Chat Noir just in time to protect him from the blow as his back was turned. The sound caused the hero to leap several feet in the ear, spinning around to see the source as he let out a yelp of shock.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The force of the blow knocked Hinata to the ground, who rolled out of the way just in time as the knight’s blade came crashing down. It drove down into the ground, and Kenma watched as Chat Noir took advantage of the moment the knight attempting to pull it back out by sweeping his staff into his ankles. The knight toppled, and Hinata rose back up and deflected a mighty blow from the King himself.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“<i> You,</i>” He snarled. Chat Noir swiftly jumped over to stand with Hinata, protectively pushing the King’s sword away from the both of them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“The hell are you doing here, kid?!” Kuroo shouted towards the ginger, who just shot him a smile.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Helping!” He responded.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><i> All right,</i> Kenma thought. <i> Enough waiting around and being useless. Where is the Akuma hiding?</i></p>
<p>He recalled Kageyama from earlier. Perhaps his fencing helmet had turned into a crown? Or his uniform turned into that sweeping cape. Or maybe it was the sword. Probably that one. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>All he had to do was wrest the sword out of the King’s grasp and break it. He could probably do that.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Lucky charm,” he whispered. A brief flash of light washed over him as a small glass object fell down into his outstretched hand - a small bottle of perfume.</p>
<p>Wonderful. Kenma let out a defeated sigh.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The next thing he knew, his vision was spun into a blur, then went dark. He tasted dirt and then metal as his face was smashed into the ground. His eyes began to burn as dust particles flew into them. the ground was gone as fast as it had arrived as he felt himself get roughly lifted by metal hands. He blinked furiously, trying to see clearly as he felt the steady jolts of moving steps.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The knight was holding him in an embrace of doom, awkwardly carrying him like a child carries a giant teddy bear. It was almost comical, except for the scream that came out of Chat Noir when he saw Kenma’s pitiful situation.</p>
<p>“<i>LADYBUG!</i> I THOUGHT YOU GUYS ESCAPED!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Believe me, I tried,” Kenma huffed, giving Hinata a glare. The knight gave him a shake in protest.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Be quiet in front of your King!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kenma let out a snort. As if.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>His emotions spiraled once again as two other knights grabbed his two friends, Hinata’s blade clattering to the ground as he struggled against an iron grip. The King let out a bone-chilling laugh, gliding over towards Hinata.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hah! You and your little friends thought they could defeat <i>me</i>?” The King sneered down at Hinata, who’s expression was a heart-wrenching mixture of shocked and terrified. “Even if you do have superior agility, it doesn’t mean you have skills. Yet.” The King paused ominously. “You could be the shining jewel of my court, you know.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hinata’s face went from scared to angry to confused. “I - what?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The King offered a gloved hand to Hinata. “Join my court,” he said, “Or perish with these fools.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hinata’s brow furrowed in thought, before his expression hardened.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Beat me in a duel.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The King raised a brow. “I already have.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hinata looked up, pulling as mighty a glare as Kenma guessed he could. He almost looked intimidating. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Not just me and you. If I win, you let us all go. If I lose, I join your court.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kenma <i>definitely</i> did not like the odds of this fight.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What are you doing, kid?” Chat Noir shouted. Hinata paid him no mind as the King stood back up to full height.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Deal.” He turned to the knight who held Hinata back. “Let him go.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Suddenly, a purple flash appeared in front of his face. It almost looked like a strange type of neon butterfly. the King’s expression darkened.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I will do as you ask once this is over. You made me a promise.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The butterfly shape faded away.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Now,” the King said, tossing the fallen sword to Hinata. “We duel.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kenma knew having any faith in this would be a bad idea. He was the hero anyway, wasn’t it his job to get everyone out of this? His mind raced through possibilities as Hinata let out a cry, charging forward. The King took a swing at his sword, but Hinata ducked down, avoiding a blade clash. He immediately leapt up, striking the King in the face with the hilt of his sword.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><i> Woah, </i> Kenma thought. He knew Hinata was quick on his feet, but that was unlike anything he’d seen before. He still had strong doubts about this fight ending in his favor, so he tried to turn his thoughts to strategy. This task proved much more difficult than expected, as each parry made his insides squirm uncomfortably. His mind raced a thousand miles an hour, going nowhere.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>His useless thoughts were abruptly halted when he heard the collective gasp of shock around him, and saw a streak of red on the King’s cheek. The false monarch looked at Hinata in surprise, gently putting a hand to the cut. Hinata himself seemed just as shocked. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The King’s expression quickly changed from shock to fury. His eyes started to glow electric blue, and with a vengeful shout, he lurched towards Hinata, sending his blade swiftly through his stomach.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hinata let out a quiet gasp as the King pulled the sword back, and Kenma watched in horror as he dropped down onto his knees. Eyes still glowing, the King let out another harrowing cackle.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I admit, that was a fun fight,” he laughed, “But no one matches me in combat. No. One.” He moved to stand in front of Hinata, raising the red-stained weapon. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“For your impressive attempt, I will award you with a special place in my court.” He gently tapped Hinata’s right shoulder. Kenma’s brain went into overdrive. “I, King of the Court, hereby knight thee. Black knight, rise.” He tapped Hinata’s left shoulder with the sword, a dark mist suddenly surrounding the both of them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>One thought pierced the overwhelming shock through Kenma’s mind. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <i>RUN. </i>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He realized numbly that he still held the small bottle of perfume in his hand. He began to squirm, the smooth fabric of his suit allowing him to slip his arm free. He turned himself around as far as he could, and flipped the knight’s helmet up. It was the kid with turnip-hair from before.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Bye.”  He spritzed the perfume directly in his face.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He screamed, immediately letting go of Kenma, trying to rub at his eyes. He saw the mist settling in his peripheral vision as he bolted towards the knight holding Chat Noir, leaping up and flipping the helmet, and giving the perfume another spray. It was glasses guy, who coughed, allowing Chat to wiggle free.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We gotta go. Regroup,” Kenma said. Chat gave a nod, and the two of them bolted as fast as they could towards the wall, clearing it easily.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kenma knew it was a bad idea, but he couldn’t help but glance behind them. He saw a knight in glistening black armor bowing to the King, who grinned wickedly. He felt Chat Noir grab him and leap off the wall, landing fairly gracefully on the other side.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Come on, we gotta MOVE.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kenma gave himself a little shake, then took off after him. Suddenly, he heard a soft <i> beep</i> in his ear.</p>
<p>“I’m about to detransform,” he said. “Meet you there.” And with that, he veered off into an alleyway. He looked behind him, and saw no sign of Chat Noir, only the faint tinging of a bell as he bounced away.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I guess all I needed was an actual essay due to start writing about literally anything else lol. Working on that this week so the next chap might be a little shorter, but I'll do my best ^_^</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Alone</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which there's a lot of knights and a lot of self-sacrifice.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Finally. Didn't think this would take three chapters but here we are lmao</p><p>Also, thanks to my incredible sister, we now have some art references for hero!Kuroo and Kenma! You can find it here:</p><p>https://skyfyrecity.tumblr.com/post/615793891885596672/my-amazing-sister-drew-some-hero-references-for-my</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kuroo crouched in the tree silently, each moment more agonizing than the one before. He could hear screams in the far distance, and unknowable scores of knights marching in the streets around the park. He had seen a couple groups traipse by under his tree, but their helmets prevented them from seeing him there. Luckily, his trembling had mostly subsided, if only because of the knowledge that he would surely meet a pointy end if he didn’t get his act together. He didn’t know how much longer he could keep it up. </p><p> </p><p>Where could Ladybug be? Kuroo dared not guess.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, he heard a telltale soft <i>whirr.</i></p><p> </p><p>Kuroo thanked the gods for his enhanced hearing and eyesight as he glanced around the park in the swiftly dimming light. He had never felt more relief in his life as his spotted hero partner came into view, darting between the trees as quietly as possible. Ladybug stopped right below the tree, looking up to meet Kuroo’s gaze.</p><p> </p><p>“Wow. That’s… kinda terrifying,” they said.</p><p> </p><p>“Glad to see you too,” Kuroo replied, thinking about the image of a dark silhouette staring at you with piercing yellow eyes. Yeah, pretty scary. He hopped down to crouch with Ladybug in the nearby bushes.</p><p>“What took you so long?” He whispered. Ladybug was silent for a second, seemingly in thought.</p><p> </p><p>“There’s just… so many damn knights,” they replied. “They multiplied so quickly. We gotta get a handle on this soon.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo cursed to himself. “Any ideas?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah,” Ladybug said. “We have the advantage of surprise. I believe the Akuma is in the King’s sword. All you have to do is touch it… um.” Ladybug looked at Kuroo with a strange expression - it was hard to read a person’s face when most of it was covered. “…Are you ok?”</p><p>Kuroo then happened to notice the rustling sound surrounding them. It took him a few more seconds to realize that they were coming from him.</p><p> </p><p>The trembling had returned tenfold, and he was causing the branches his arms were against to shake. He was quickly starting to have trouble holding himself up. He felt a wave of emotions crash into the walls he had put them behind, threatening to break lose.</p><p>“Crap. Sorry,” he whispered. “I just… I… ”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s understandable,” Ladybug responded quickly. “Just get away from the branches, will you? Sit down, you’ll touch them less.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo finally gave in to his trembling limbs, falling to the ground. He felt another wave of anguish, and a cold sting as his eyes began to water.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s just… that kid… I’m really, really glad you’re okay.” His voice was trembling now. Damn it all.</p><p> </p><p>A silence stretched between them for a few moments.</p><p> </p><p> “… Yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo decided to give in to the shock and let the tears fall, sobbing as quietly as he could.</p><p> </p><p>“God, I’m so sorry… if it weren’t for me being stupid and putting myself in danger again… none of this would’ve happened. And now I’m… crying and I don’t know why-”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo paused as he felt Ladybug put a hand gently on his shoulder, crouching by his side.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, it’s okay you know? You couldn’t’ve known what he was gonna do. He made that choice, not you.” Kuroo looked up at Ladybug’s face, letting out a soft hiccup. </p><p> </p><p>“Also, if it makes you feel better… I cried about it too. When I was waiting for Tiki to get food. I feel pretty numb now.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo’s heart wrenched itself even more at the idea of Ladybug crying in an alleyway, all alone. “…oh.”</p><p> </p><p>“Listen, we can save him, and hopefully he won’t remember the pain. Same with all the others.” Ladybug held out their free hand, offering it to Kuroo. “Are you with me?”</p><p>Kuroo turned to meet Ladybug’s unexpectedly soft gaze. Something snapped inside, and the next thing Kuroo knew, he had pulled Ladybug into a tight embrace. They froze for a moment, unsure of what to do, but eventually they tentatively put their arms around Kuroo as well.</p><p> </p><p>“‘M’sorry,” Kuroo whispered.</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t be.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo didn’t know how long they sat there for, but the sun had set completely by the time his sobs finally wound down, and he was at last breathing at a steady pace again. Kuroo finally pulled away, wiping tears away for the last time. </p><p> </p><p>“Ew, gross, my shoulder’s wet,” Ladybug grumbled. Kuroo let out a quiet chuckle. Ladybug looked up at him.</p><p> </p><p>“You good now?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. Sorry about your shoulder. I… think I’ve needed that for awhile. Not just for today. Thanks.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well uh. Glad I could help?”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo smiled.</p><p> </p><p>“Right. What’s the plan again?”</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p>Kuroo found himself lying in wait once more, this time underneath a parked car. He wasn’t sure how the hell he got there unnoticed, but he just counted his blessings and hoped to hell that Ladybug was gonna be okay. He watched the King, intently, silently, as he paced around in his circle of followers. Hinata - the Black Knight - stood by his side, following his every move. </p><p> </p><p>He was gonna just be a bundle of joy to deal with.</p><p> </p><p>An unexpected, shrill noise pierced the air, threatening to make Kuroo’s ears bleed. It sounded like something scraping on metal, what the hell it could be was lost to him. It did get the desired effect, however, as the King and his cohorts immediately jumped, looking about in concern. They scattered around, searching for the source of the noise, though the Black Knight stayed faithfully next to the King’s side. </p><p> </p><p>“HEY!”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo’s eyes snapped to the source of the shout, it was Ladybug, holding a sword they must’ve picked up from a fallen Knight. He pointed it at the fearsome duo standing in the street.</p><p> </p><p>“I see you heard the cat yowl. Might be good to look for him, his weapon is almost ready by the sound of it,” Ladybug said. The bluff seemed to work, as the King’s shoulders tensed in frustration. The Black Knight unsheathed his sword.</p><p> </p><p>“On the other hand, you could come and fight me instead. I never got a chance to duel you yet.”</p><p> </p><p>The King gave a small nod, and the Black Knight rushed forward, sword raised. It hurt to hear Hinata’s voice filled with rage as he charged, and Kuroo saw Ladybug flinch as well, before neatly leaping to the side. </p><p> </p><p>So they were trying to draw away the Black Knight.</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo felt admiration bloom inside his heart, but quickly realized it was now or never.</p><p> </p><p>He watched as the King turned heel, swiftly gliding off to find out wherever Kuroo was hiding. Kuroo waited until he walked by the car, and readied his baton as best as he could.</p><p> </p><p>When the moment came, he swung towards the King’s ankles, causing him to stumble. Kuroo leapt up from under the car. </p><p> </p><p>“CATACL-!”</p><p> </p><p>A deafening shriek drowned out the rest of his call, and Kuroo’s eyes snapped up on reflex. It had been Hinata, and he’d sent Ladybug’s sword flying. His dark blade was raised over his head, ready to deal a lethal blow to the spotted hero, who had been thrown to the ground. </p><p> </p><p>Kuroo didn’t even think, he just ran.</p><p> </p><p>He barely touched the blade in time, watching it sizzle into dust as it was brought down in full force. </p><p> </p><p>Ladybug, the Knight, and Kuroo all just stared at the spot where the sword had been for a second. The next thing Kuroo knew, a metal fist had collided with his face, sending him rolling backwards. He heard the thud of flesh against metal, and an annoyed grunt from Hinata. Footsteps landed somewhere around his head, and rushed off. He blinked with the one eye that still functioned, and saw the Knight knocked over on his side, struggling to get up. Ladybug was nowhere to be seen. Kuroo tried to move, but everything was screaming in pain, and he just ended up rolling to the side himself, trying to catch a glimpse of the owner of those footsteps - Ladybug.</p><p> </p><p>He saw a distant red and black figure rushing towards the place where the King had been. Something thin and shiny flew at them, but they grabbed it easily and raised it above their head.</p><p>Oh. a sword.</p><p> </p><p>Ladybug brought the sword down on the concrete, with a clang that made Kuroo’s brains boil. There was a second clang, and then a third. By the fourth one, Kuroo felt his consciousness fading, black creeping into his peripheral vision. The sound grew more and more muffled, a last, shattering crash ringing in his head before he succumbed to the darkness.</p><p> </p><p>When Kuroo came to, the first thing he saw was a face above his own, eyes wide in worry, expression otherwise unseeable behind their spotted mask.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you okay?”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo tried to blink, and noticed that thankfully both eyes were working again.</p><p> </p><p>“… I think I screwed up.”</p><p> </p><p>“You saved my life. That’s pretty good for a screw-up.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo let out a laugh. Ladybug visibly relaxed.</p><p> </p><p>“You got it, didn’t you?”</p><p> </p><p>“..Yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>“You really are miraculous, Ladybug.”</p><p> </p><p>Ladybug huffed in reply.</p><p> </p><p>“Shut up.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo sat up and surveyed his surroundings. Kageyama was sitting on the street, looking rather confused, but Hinata was approaching him, saying something about getting stabbed. </p><p> </p><p>“We should… probably fill them in.”</p><p> </p><p>Ladybug nodded slightly.</p><p> </p><p>***<br/>
<b> <i>  Kuro, u ok? 9:32p</i></b></p><p>
  <b>Yeah. Bodyguard picked me up right away 9:33p </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <i> cool. 9:33p</i>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>How bout you n shrimpy? 9:34p</b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <i> fine.  9:34p</i>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>Good. You still on 4 study sesh this weekend 9:34p</b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <i> yeah. 9:34p </i>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>Cool. C U then :) 9:34p </b>
</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo smiled at his phone as the limo drove up the winding drive to his estate. He was glad Kenma and Hinata were all right. Kageyama seemed to be pretty okay too, if confused at first when he had been detransformed. Hinata had seemed strangely upbeat about the whole being stabbed thing, so Kuroo hoped he’d just brush if off as some wild adventure. And Ladybug…</p><p> </p><p>Ladybug had definitely surprised him the most that day. He’d assumed the were reluctant and standoffish, if strategic and responsible, but today Kuroo had seen a side of them that he felt many people probably didn’t. Not to mention that they’d challenged a foe knowing full well the odds were highly against them, just to make Kuroo’s job a little easier. It had definitely been an unexpectedly brash decision on their part, but it really meant a lot to Kuroo anyway.</p><p> </p><p>Also he’d never had anyone who could willingly listen to and understand his problems either. They had been so patient with him, and adjusted for any mistakes he made.</p><p> </p><p>What an amazing person.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Almost at chapter 10 and we've only just begun... I have no idea how long this is gonna be tbh. 25 chapters? 50? Dunno but whatever it takes to get this story told, I will do.</p><p>Just a small heads up, finals season is nearly upon us, and I already know a 10 page paper is one of my final projects as well as another 5 page one, so that might end up taking all my writing energy for awhile. I'll do my best to keep y'all updated &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. It Can Happen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Kenma, please pay attention.”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma groaned and opened his eyes as he felt his teacher shove him lightly in the shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>This last week had been the most exhausting of his life - not only had the school year started back up again, but he was now tasked with the effort of saving Tokyo every other day. He wasn’t quite ready to give up his couple hours of video games before school either, so it left him with very little time to sleep. He’d slept barely an hour the night before, since he’d also been up late texting Kuroo. Kenma smiled briefly at the memory of Kuroo’s ecstatic messages about science class - what a strange thing to be so passionate about. He could almost see Kuroo’s signature grin in the back of his mind.</p><p> </p><p>As the lunch bell rang, Kenma realized he had been completely zoned out again. Whatever. He had that study session with Kuroo tonight anyway. Honestly his excitement for that was the only thing keeping him from collapsing to sleep again as Hinata talked his ear off.</p><p> </p><p>“…And then Kageyama DENIED that he had ever said that,” Hinata huffed. “Honestly, he probably just didn’t wanna admit that he said I had <i> superior agility</i>, because he’s so stuck up.”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma just nodded numbly, as he felt sleep calling to him…</p><p> </p><p>Kenma woke up to the sound of a bustling crowd. He looked at the time on his phone. 3:17.</p><p> </p><p>Had he just slept through his afternoon classes?</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Kenma! There you are!” </p><p> </p><p>Kenma looked up blearily, seeing a familiar mop of messy black hair. Kuroo.</p><p> </p><p>“Hinata said you’d probably be here. Did you seriously sleep half the day??”</p><p> </p><p>“… I guess so. Hinata didn’t wake me up then… lil bastard.” Kenma wrinkled his nose in annoyance, causing Kuroo to let out a laugh.</p><p>“Well, if you’re still up for studying, our ride is waiting.”</p><p>Kenma felt a dash of excitement, which was the push he needed to sit up. He hopped up to his feet, and Kuroo started down towards the limo waiting on the street. Kenma followed, suddenly aware of the eyes that were snapped to Kuroo, and now him. He nervously rubbed at his cheek, which had been pressed into the grass and now had little indents.</p><p> </p><p>That feeling of nervousness only faded slightly as the limo drove off. Kenma took in his surroundings, afraid to touch anything. Kuroo gave him an encouraging smile, which for some reason gave Kenma one of those weird little pangs and made him feel even worse.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, it’s just me. I know my place is kinda big and stuff but I’ll do what I can to make you feel at home.”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma just sat there, willing himself to speak.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve never been in a limo before…”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh,” Kuroo chuckled. “I thought cars were mostly like this, just… shorter, ya kno?”</p><p> </p><p>“I mean… some cars I guess. Mostly no.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo let out a gasp. “No waay!”</p><p> </p><p>“Most of the time it’s front facing seats, which are a lot less comfortable. You have to wear a seatbelt.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo thought for a second. “Well now that you mention it, I guess that is what I’ve seen from the outside…”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma suddenly let out a small huff of laughter. Kuroo looked over in concern.</p><p> </p><p>“I just. You’ve never ridden in a car before?”</p><p> </p><p>“Nope. Everytime I leave the apartment building my dad hires this driver to get me places.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh…” Kenma thought for a second. “You don’t get to choose where you go do you…”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo shook his head. Kenma felt a rush of sadness for his friend, and a bit of anger too - no one deserved this lack of freedom, no matter how famous or “important” they were.</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo must’ve noticed the nature of Kenma’s silence, because he gave him a weak smile. “It’s getting better these days at least…” </p><p> </p><p>Before Kenma could ask what Kuroo meant, the messy-haired boy was pointing excitedly out the window.</p><p> </p><p>“I live right over there, we’ve nearly made it!”</p><p> </p><p>The Limo came to a stop outside a building that extended so high that Kenma wasn’t sure he could see the top - it made him dizzy just to look up at it. Kuroo gave a bow of thanks to the Limo driver, who nodded back and drove off. Kenma’s nerves began to rise again, as he and Kuroo walked into the modern yet decadent lobby. He felt rather out of place in the monochrome room, sticking close to Kuroo as he checked them in. Kuroo thanked the receptionist and motioned for Kenma to follow him to the elevator.</p><p> </p><p>“Soooo what do you think?” Kuroo asked, pressing the button for floor 25. </p><p> </p><p>“… you live kinda high up.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo let out a laugh. “I suppose I do. It’s got a really nice view up there.” As soon as the doors began to open, he grabbed Kenma’s arm and dragged him out onto the floor in excitement. Kenma felt another one of those strange pangs of nerves originating from Kuroo’s touch, but he was already feeling strange so he didn’t think much of it as Kuroo walked over to the one door in the small area, pulling out a keycard and sliding it over the door lock. The lock turned green with a small ping and Kuroo pulled the door open, bowing dramatically and gesturing for Kenma to go inside.</p><p> </p><p>“After you, sir,” he said in a fake stuffy accent. The jest made Kenma relax a bit as he stepped inside.</p><p> </p><p>Kenma knew the place was going to be nice, but he wasn’t prepared for the sheer size of it all. A modern monstrosity of a chandelier hung from the ceiling, a mass of different-sized black and red cubes. Dashes of red were the only pop of color in the whole place, which was otherwise in stark black-and-white. Despite its opulence, the place felt sterile and empty. Kenma followed Kuroo as he headed towards a door on the right side of the room. </p><p> </p><p>Kuroo’s room, thankfully, felt much more lived-in - clothes were strewn about the floor, and his desk was littered with homework and other miscellaneous items. The room had a piano and a foosball table on one end, as well as an impressively sized TV screen on the wall beside enormous windows. A sleek table underneath it housed several consoles and a video game collection Kenma immediately envied.</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo grinned mischievously. “Yep, I play video games too. I’ll gladly kick your ass at Mario Kart later but first we’ve gotta make sure you’re caught up with your classes.”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma groaned, but followed Kuroo over to the desk, where the wild-haired boy promptly shoved the pile of work over to the side. He grabbed a red pouf from the other side of the room and dropped it by the desk, flopping onto it unceremoniously. He motioned for Kenma to sit down at the desk chair.</p><p> </p><p>After several frustrating hours, they’d finally made it through the bulk of Kenma’s work. It wasn’t that Kuroo was a bad teacher, but every time he leaned over to point something out or write, Kenma found the closeness rather distracting; he supposed it was because he was unused to people being in his personal bubble. It felt strange being able to sense the body heat radiating off another human, and whenever their arms brushed it gave Kenma a jolt of anxiety. After awhile he started getting used to all this; he almost found it refreshing, bringing his mind back from when it floated away into an exhausted fog.</p><p> </p><p>“All right, I think that’s good for now,” Kuroo said decidedly. “It’s almost 7 already and I want at least a little time to play games with one of my best friends.” Kenma noticed how Kuroo’s eyes lit up as he finished the sentence. </p><p> </p><p>Kenma couldn’t help but smile a little as Kuroo went over and grabbed the controllers, booting up one of the consoles. He hopped on the bed, sifting through the games listed until Mario Kart popped up. Kenma went to sit next to him, picking up a controller himself. </p><p> </p><p>“Since you’re a game master and all, you up for Rainbow Road?”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma nodded. This was gonna be easy.</p><p> </p><p>It was not, in fact, easy. Kuroo turned out to be an evenly-matched adversary, both of them in a constant struggle for the coveted first place. In the end, Kenma just barely managed to cinch the prize, whizzing by Kuroo at the last possible second after tailing behind him most of the second half. Kuroo let out a shout of surprise.</p><p> </p><p>“Damn, I almost had that.”</p><p> </p><p>A smug look crossed Kenma’s features.</p><p> </p><p>“Bold of you to assume this wasn’t the plan the whole time.”</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo looked at him for a second, then started to chuckle. The chuckle evolved into a laugh, and when Kuroo glanced up with the smile of a thousand suns on his face, Kenma suddenly felt an urge to tackle him in an embrace and never let go. </p><p> </p><p>Which was something he had never wished to do to anyone, ever.</p><p> </p><p>What?</p><p> </p><p>“I fell for that hook, line and sinker, didn’t I? Nice job. Don’t think you can fool me again though.”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma was barely listening, suddenly feeling extremely self-aware. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but he knew he had to get away and think, fast.</p><p> </p><p>“…Kenma?” </p><p> </p><p>“…Right. I won’t hold back this time.” He paused for a moment. “Can I use the bathroom first?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, sure. It’s just across the hall.” He got up and pointed Kenma to one of the black doors outside his room. Kenma nodded gratefully and tried not to run into the room, shutting the door carefully behind him. He felt a small tug at his hoodie as Tiki flew out into view.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you okay? I felt your heart rate go up.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m fine, I think…” Kenma responded. “It was just…”</p><p> </p><p>Kenma thought back to Kuroo, his bright golden eyes, wild hair, that infectious smile - how he wanted it pressed against his own…</p><p> </p><p>Oh.</p><p> </p><p>Oh <i>no.</i></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hehehehehehe so I was only three weeks late...haha</p><p>Long story short I'm honestly still pretty burned out from college and like, Everything Going On so I will continue to update as often as possible but it will most likely be every couple weeks instead of weekly, and the chapters might be a bit shorter for awhile. I really appreciate everyone's patience and kind comments, y'all rock &lt;3 See you soon!</p>
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